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Archive for the ‘Lodi’ Category

Nearly two weeks ago we reported that the Lodi City Council might cap the number of taco trucks operating in the city. At a City Council meeting last night, the lawmakers voted unanimously to do just that, according to the Lodi News-Sentinel.

While the specific language of the final ordinance hasn’t been formally approved yet, the councilmembers did agree that the permits will be transferable.

Remember how I’d asked about what attorney David LeBeouf thinks of this new ordinance? Not surprisingly, he was there:

Local attorney David LeBeouf, who has represented the owners of the trucks in the past, told City Attorney Steve Schwabauer that he is fine with the ordinance as long as it allows the current trucks to continue to operate, Schwabauer said. LeBeouf also wanted the permits to be transferable if the owner sells the truck.

The newspaper also added that Mayor Larry Hansen has charged his staff with being more aggressive in making sure that the trucks will obey existing permit, health and safety laws and that he hopes that the new permit limit makes sure that the vendors will be in compliance, as the city has had a tough time with some vendors.

“Now that there is a cap, there is a value to having that license,” he said. “There could be more understanding of I really need to play by the rules of the game if I don’t want to be suspended or revoked.”

In 2008, there were 16 taco trucks permitted by the city, and in 2009, there were 22. Before 2008, the city didn’t require a mobile food vendor permit for the vendors.

The city started requiring permits after several council members expressed concern about whether mobile food vendors had the correct health permits and business licenses, said Joseph Wood, neighborhood services manager.

There’s the usual points brought up about taco trucks being “unfair competition” to established brick-and-mortar restaurants.

However, the City of Lodi may want to consult this part of the article before making any ruling, which to me, shows how much taco trucks want to work with city officials to keep themselves in business:

The community development department has heard very few complaints about the taco trucks, including the ones near residential areas, Wood said. With the new permitting process, the department performs spot checks to see if there are any problems with the trucks.

One of the problems Wood spotted was a taco truck had a non-approved water connection because it didn’t have a hose that met state health requirements. The taco truck owner removed the hose, Wood said.

Another had an electric connection crossing a roadway or pedestrian area. While taco trucks can have electric connections, they cannot cross property where people are driving or walking, so the truck had to remove it.